Methods for manufacturing an electric machine

• US 10,476,358 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2017
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Huang, Hao, Jia, Xiaochuan, Mook, Joshua Tyler, Bonneau, Victor Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Cazan, Livius R.
• Application Number:
  US15/671,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/02 characterised by the magnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/24 Rotor cores with salient poles ; Variable reluctance rotors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/32 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining or repairing of dynamo-electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/0012 Manufacturing cage rotors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/02 of stator or rotor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/14 Casings; Enclosures; Supports
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/24 with channels or ducts for cooling medium between the conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/325 for windings on salient poles, such as claw-shaped poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/527 applicable to rotors only
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/207 with openings in the casing specially adapted for ambient air
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/06 with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/19 for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/20 wherein the cooling medium vaporises within the machine casing
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/227 Heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an electrical machine includes printing a stator core; printing a first part of a stator winding; coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core; printing a second part of the stator winding onto the first part of the stator winding to form a stator assembly; printing a first part of a rotor shaft; printing a rotor core onto the first part of the rotor shaft; printing a second part of the rotor shaft onto the rotor core; printing a first part of a rotor winding; coupling the first part of the rotor winding to the rotor core; and printing a second part of the rotor winding onto the first part of the rotor winding to form a rotor assembly.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electrical machine, the method comprising:

printing a stator core;

printing a first part of a stator winding;

coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core;

printing a second part of the stator winding onto the first part of the stator winding to form a stator assembly;

printing a first part of a rotor shaft;

printing a rotor core onto the first part of the rotor shaft;

printing a second part of the rotor shaft onto the rotor core;

printing a first part of a rotor winding;

coupling the first part of the rotor winding to the rotor core; and

printing a second part of the rotor winding onto the first part of the rotor winding to form a rotor assembly,

wherein coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core precedes printing the second part of the stator winding onto the first part of the stator winding, and

wherein coupling the first part of the rotor winding to the rotor core precedes printing the second part of the rotor winding onto the first part of the rotor winding.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a housing defining a cavity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the stator core comprises printing a first projection, wherein printing the first part of the stator winding comprises printing a second projection, and wherein the first projection contacts the second projection when the first part of the stator winding is coupled to the stator core.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

applying a varnish or epoxy to the stator assembly;

removing the first projection from the stator core after applying the varnish or epoxy; and

removing the second projection from the first part of the stator winding after applying the varnish or epoxy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein applying the varnish or epoxy precedes printing the first part of the rotor shaft.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein removing the first projection from the stator core precedes printing the first part of the rotor shaft, and wherein removing the second projection from the first part of the stator winding precedes printing the first part of the rotor shaft.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the rotor core comprises printing a first projection, wherein printing the first part of the rotor winding comprises printing a second projection, and wherein the first projection contacts the second projection when the first part of the rotor winding is coupled to the rotor core.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

applying a varnish or epoxy to the rotor assembly;

removing the first projection from the rotor core after applying the varnish or epoxy; and

removing the second projection from the first part of the rotor winding after applying the varnish or epoxy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the first part of the stator winding comprises printing first end turns and a plurality of coils, and wherein printing the second part of the stator winding comprises printing second end turns.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein printing the plurality of coils comprises printing at least one wire.

11. A method for manufacturing an electrical machine, the method comprising:

printing, by a three-dimensional (3D) printing process, a stator core;

printing, by the 3D printing process, a first part of a stator winding;

coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core;

after coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core, printing, by the 3D printing process, a second part of the stator winding onto the first part of the stator winding to form a stator assembly;

printing, by the 3D printing process, a rotor core;

printing, by the 3D printing process, a first part of a rotor shaft onto a first end of the rotor core;

printing, by the 3D printing process, a second part of the rotor shaft onto a second end of the rotor core;

printing, by the 3D printing process, a first part of a rotor winding;

coupling the first part of the rotor winding to the rotor core; and

after coupling the first part of the rotor winding to the rotor core, printing, by the 3D printing process, a second part of the rotor winding onto the first part of the rotor winding to form a rotor assembly,

wherein the 3D printing process comprises fusing metal using laser energy or heat.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising printing, by the 3D printing process, a housing defining a cavity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein printing the stator core comprises printing, by the 3D printing process, a first projection, wherein printing the first part of the stator winding comprises printing, by the 3D printing process, a second projection, and wherein the first projection contacts the second projection when coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

applying a varnish or epoxy to the stator assembly;

removing the first projection from the stator core after applying the varnish or epoxy; and

removing the second projection from the first part of the stator winding after applying the varnish or epoxy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein applying the varnish or epoxy occurs before printing the rotor core.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein removing the first projection from the stator core precedes printing the rotor core, and wherein removing the second projection from the first part of the stator winding precedes printing the rotor core.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein printing the rotor core comprises:

printing, by the 3D printing process, at least one damp bar; and

printing, by the 3D printing process, a damp ring after printing the at least one damp bar.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein printing the first part of the stator winding comprises printing first end turns and a plurality of coils, and wherein printing the second part of the stator winding comprises printing second end turns.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein coupling the first part of the stator winding to the stator core comprises inserting each coil of the plurality of coils into one slot of a plurality of slots defined by the stator core.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein printing the plurality of coils comprises printing at least one wire.